


forget how to lie

by proximanova (helveticaneue)



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Denial of Feelings, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Multi, Polyamory Negotiations, They watch Love Simon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-05-29 12:33:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15073247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helveticaneue/pseuds/proximanova
Summary: "Taylor imagines his fingers working quickly down the buttons of Mitch’s back, prying him open and finding what’s on the inside. He imagines maple syrup and hockey pucks and warmth, and desperately hopes that there’s something else there."(Or: Taylor has an obsession with Mitchell Stephens. Tony is there through it all.)





	forget how to lie

**Author's Note:**

  * For [love_stella](https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_stella/gifts).



> a lot of this was inspired by figuring out sexuality as a wlw, and also the several hundred thousand words of drarry fanfiction i read in the two weeks prior to writing it. love, simon made it in because I Have A Lot of Opinions, and most of them are about how mitch stephens looks like nick robinson
> 
> ash, i feel like there's enough of me in here that you may be able to guess who i am. whoops! i was so happy that you were my recip because you deserve nice things, and i hope you like it!
> 
> thank you so much to my beta! wish i could put your name here and credit you, but i guess we’ll have to wait a week lol

There’s something about Mitch that has always intrigued Taylor, made him want to poke and prod and tear Mitch open, learn every tiny detail that makes up who Mitch is. Taylor wants to know Mitchell Stephens intimately, wants to slide a hand up Mitch’s shirt to feel his abs and explore Mitch’s mouth with his tongue and learn all his secrets.

There’s something about Mitch that seems mysterious, even though everyone seems to know who Mitchell Stephens is but Taylor.

Mitchell Stephens is a certified Nice Guy, and not in the way where he’s really an asshole who claims he’s nice to get girls. He’s actually really nice. Irritatingly nice. There is no way he can really be that nice.

“No,” Tony tells Taylor. “I’m pretty sure Mitch just is that nice.”

Taylor, who played on a World Juniors team with Mitchell and knew him for years before that, is certain that’s not true. Mitch has to have a dark secret or something. There must be something behind the façade of Nice.  Taylor has made it his mission to discover what his dark secret is.

“You’re being really weird,” Tony says when Taylor tries to enlist Tony’s help as his undercover operative in Syracuse.

He agrees to help anyway, though, because Tony is the greatest. If Dylan Strome actually had a harem, Tony would also be in that harem with Taylor, which means they’re basically closer than brothers. (Tony unhelpfully points out that Mitch is pretty close with Dylan and would probably also be in this harem, though it does remind Taylor to text Dylan for the deets on what makes Mitchell Stephens tick. Dylan replies _y do u want to kno?_ so Taylor leaves him on read.)

Mitchell Stephens is objectively a little bit perfect. He is a goddamn rom com star and it’s only so long before he has his meet cute with an equally nice and friendly and funny girl in a Syracuse Starbucks or a Tampa theater. Taylor isn’t looking forward to that day, because couples are the worst and they’ll probably be the perfect couple, which will be _the worst._

If you ask people about Taylor, they would probably say he’s nice. Not Mitchell Stephens Nice, but kind of how you say “oh, that nice,” to appease a child who tells you something that makes no sense. He’s nice as in bland, as in tannish beige-ish carpeting that you don’t necessarily hate but you don’t really love either. He definitely doesn’t have a complex about this.

“Why do you want to find out whatever Mitch’s dark secret is, anyway?” Tony asks. Taylor takes back any thoughts about Tony being a good friend.

Taylor has thought about it a lot, about how he wants to prove that Mitchell Stephens is human and not just a really nice robot designed to be the ideal Canadian boy, really good at hockey but not quite enough to get drafted in the first round, a team player and a hard worker.

Taylor is all of these things too, probably, except that Mitch is just so utterly exceptional at all of these things that it just doesn’t feel real.

Taylor imagines his fingers working quickly down the buttons of Mitch’s back, prying him open and finding what’s on the inside. He imagines maple syrup and hockey pucks and warmth, and desperately hopes that there’s something else there.

Everyone seems to know who Mitchell Stephens is, and while Taylor supposes that he knows too, he just isn’t satisfied with seeing what everyone else sees. He needs more. He needs to dig deeper into the not quite enigma of Mitch and find what lies hidden.

* * *

“Your mission,” Taylor tells Tony, who is blurry over their Skype connection. “Should you choose to accept it, is to befriend Mitch in order to find out if he has any dark secrets.”

“You know Mitch and I are already friends,” Tony says. “Actually, you and Mitch are friends. I know you were texting him yesterday, why do I have to do this?”

“How do you know that?” Taylor demands.

Tony shrugs. “He told me. He said ‘Raddy is hilarious sometimes,’ and laughed at his phone a bunch.”

“Did he say anything else about me?” Taylor demands, trying to squash the rising feeling in his chest that is similar to panic but definitely isn’t.

“Not really,” Tony says. “Just that he’s secretly trying to take over the world with the power of kindness and also his movie star smile. There’s your dark secret.”

He can’t keep a straight face for longer than a couple seconds, and Taylor scowls at him. “You’re a dick.”

“I just don’t think it would be very cool for me to tell you anything Mitch might possibly tell me in confidence,” Tony says.

“Okay, yeah, of course not. I just want to know if he does, not what it is. I just need proof he’s not perfect.”

“He’s definitely not perfect, Tay. He played for London.”

Taylor huffs out a laugh, and judging by the pleased look on Tony’s face, that’s what he was going for.

* * *

 Mitchell Stephens absolutely cannot sing. Tony seems to think this is the proof Taylor is looking for.

Taylor watches the video, though, and Mitch’s off key singing when he’s just supposed to lip sync is mostly just endearing. His dance moves are adorable, and his song choices are impeccable, or at least in line with Taylor’s taste.

Mitchell Stephens is so perfect that even supposed flaws just make him more perfect and rom com star-y and it’s absolutely infuriating, if you ask Taylor.

(“I didn’t ask,” Tony says. “But I’m starting to think you may have a crush on Mitchell Stephens.”

Taylor vehemently denies.)

Mitchell Stephens continues to be a terrible singer and lip syncer and also practically perfect in every way. Taylor is starting to get frustrated, because everything Tony mentions Mitch doing is just great. When Mitch texts Taylor, he is pretty great.

Taylor just can’t deal with Mitch being so amazing. It’s terribly infuriating and distracting when Taylor is busy figuring out how to fit in on a new team in his last year playing junior hockey. Once, Mitch texts him goodnight, and Taylor lies awake thinking about his possible evil motivations for hours, and shows up exhausted to practice the next day. Tony just laughs when Taylor tells him, which isn’t very nice or supportive, but it’s Tony so it’s okay.

* * *

_got ur not so dark secret_ , Tony texts him. _mitch is gay_

 _okay???_ Taylor says

 _he said it was cool if i tell u but it’s not common knowledge_ , Tony says, then, _Dylan knows_.

 _ofc he does_ Taylor replies. Dylan knows everything, he’s pretty sure. He may be in the AHL now, but he’ll forever be the OHL’s all-knowing gossip queen. Or maybe just the all-knowing gossip queen of their age group, since a lot of guys have moved up to the pros.

 _i was hoping it would be smth more exciting_ Taylor admits. _they made a gay rom com so Mitch can still be a rom com star_

 _wait i thought the whole point of this was finding out if mitch was gay_ Tony says.

Taylor’s brain is basically a bunch of question marks. _???_ he sends.

 _okay taylor_ , Tony says, which also makes no sense. _also are u talking about love simon? we should go see it_

 _for sure,_ Taylor says, and it’s the end of searching for Mitchell Stephens’ dark secret. Taylor doesn’t really see a point, anymore. Taylor still wants to _know_ Mitch, to understand him, to figure out why he’s so great.

Maybe he just has to accept that and move onto bigger things like earning a roster spot with the Bolts and maybe playing with Mitch and Tony, who are both still in Syracuse but probably won’t be for long.

(Then Tony gets called up and Taylor is too caught up in being happy for him to analyze everything Mitch says in the group chat with the three of them and Jozy and Ingy and Katchouk and the whole Mitch thing is sort of forgotten except for the funny feeling in Taylor’s chest every time Mitch texts him.)

* * *

By the time the Greyhounds and the Lightning are both out of the playoffs, _Love, Simon_ isn’t in theaters anymore, so Taylor goes over to Tony’s house to watch it.

Taylor likes watching movies with Tony. He isn’t much of a talker during, but he doesn’t mind when Taylor does it, which makes him the ideal movie watching partner.

“Did you like it?” Tony asks, as the credits roll.

“That guy looked kind of like Mitch,” Taylor says. “I thought it was dumb how his friends didn’t support him. He was obviously going through shit.”

Tony nods. “You know that your friends would support you, right, Raddy?”

“What?” Taylor says.

Tony opens his mouth to say something, stops, makes a frustrated noise, and leans in.

Taylor was definitely not expecting kissing when he pulled into Tony’s driveway today. Kissing is not really a thing Taylor ever expects, and certainly not with Tony. Taylor has never actually kissed anyone, unless you count Dylan Strome, which Taylor doesn’t.

Tony’s lips are soft and warm and Taylor is a little disappointed and disoriented when they go away and he’s left with Tony staring at him hopefully.

“I’m not gay,” Taylor says. “Or bi, or anything. I don’t like guys.”

“But, um,” Tony says. “You definitely had a crush on Mitch.”

“No?” Taylor says, extremely caught off guard and also still thinking about Tony’s lips on his.

“You—” Tony says. “Okay, I’m sorry about that, then. I wouldn’t have kissed you if I’d—”

“Don’t worry about it, man,” Taylor says. “Look, I have to go, but let’s hang out again before camp, yeah?”

“Okay,” Tony says. He doesn’t move to get up and walk Taylor out and do the standard bro hug goodbye that Taylor usually does with his buddies. He just sort of sits on the couch sadly and Taylor feels bad leaving him, but he pats him on the shoulder and heads out, closing the door carefully behind him.

* * *

Taylor gets in his car and just sits there, key in the ignition but not turned. He’s confused and there’s that feeling rising in his chest that really isn’t panic, Taylor’s sure it’s not.

He can still feel Tony’s lips on his. His hand is halfway up to touch them before he stops himself.

 _hey_ Taylor texts Mitch, instead. _simon in love simon kinda looks like you_

 _we have a lot in common._ Mitch says. _for starters, we are both gay_

It’s a good segue into what Taylor wants to ask, so he types it up and hits send before he loses his nerve. _do u think i’m gay?_

 _aren’t u?_ Mitch says.

Taylor doesn’t respond. He calls Dylan, and his hands maybe shake a little as the phone rings. But, actually, there’s probably an earthquake or something, because why would Taylor’s hands be shaking? There is nothing about this phone call that should make him nervous.

“Hey, Raddy, what’s up?” Dylan answers, remarkably cheerful for someone whose team was just knocked out of the playoffs.

Taylor doesn’t say anything for a few seconds. The earthquake that is definitely happening is still happening. “Do you think I’m gay?” he finally blurts out, and the world isn’t just shaking, it’s spinning.

“Taylor,” Dylan says, kind of soft. “We’ve made out, like, a bunch of times. Straight dudes don’t make out with other dudes.”

“That was for practice!” Taylor protests. “Not, like, actual kissing.”

Dylan laughs at him, but it doesn’t sound mean, just a little sad. “Raddy, bro, it’s all real kissing. Plus, you had that super obvious crush on Stephens.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Taylor asks. “I never had a crush on Mitch.”

“You were kind of obsessed, dude,” Dylan says. “You got drunk and cried about how perfect he was to me like three times.”

“I did not,” Taylor argues, though he definitely remembers doing that at least four times.

“Just think about why it made you so mad that he was so perfect,” Dylan says, and Taylor can practically hear the air quotes curling around ‘perfect.’ “I gotta go, Alex just got in and we haven’t seen each other in ages.”

“Alex?” Taylor says.

Dylan sounds dry and amused when he replies. “Alex DeBrincat? Tiny little thing? Also my boyfriend?”

“I knew who you meant, just — oh,” Taylor says. “I didn’t know you two were—”

“Sounds like you didn’t know a lot of things,” Dylan says. “Sounds like there’s some things you need to figure out.”

“Tony kissed me,” Taylor says, and immediately wants to take back. It feels like it should be just theirs, and not yet out in the world for other people to know.

“Holy shit,” Dylan says, in the tone of voice that means he’s about to start crying happy tears. Taylor played with Dylan for three years, so he knows all his crying voices intimately. Dylan is a very emotional person. “Oh my god, you two are my favorite people. I love you so much.”

“I love you too?” Taylor says. Dylan is not making him any less confused.

“Wait, when was this,” Dylan says. “Are you guys dating now? Because that would be amazing. We can go on double dates and—”

“It was like ten minutes ago,” Taylor tells him. “I don’t know, we didn’t talk about it. I just left and texted Mitch and he said I was gay and I didn’t think I was and I didn’t know what to do so I just called you.”

“Slow down, buddy,” Dylan says, even though he’s one to talk since he talks faster than anyone Taylor has ever met. “Tony kissed you, and you left?”

There’s muffled speech on Dylan’s end, and Taylor hears Dylan say “We might have to postpone dinner. Otter emergency.”

“Tell Brinsky I say hi,” Taylor says, faintly.

There’s more muffled speech and Dylan says “He says hi back. I think you should probably talk to Tony, but you should probably figure out what you want, first.”

“I _don’t know_ ,” Taylor says miserably. “Tony said I had a crush on Mitch, and then he kissed me, and then you said I had a crush on Mitch, and I don’t really know what’s going on.”

Dylan sighs. “When Tony kissed you, did you like it?”

“I guess,” Taylor says.

“Would you do it again?”

Taylor thinks about it. “Yeah, definitely.”

“And do you want to do that with Mitch?” Dylan asks patiently.

Taylor has to think about that, too. He decides that sounds pretty great. “Yes? Yes.”

“I think you should probably drive back to Tony’s house and talk to him,” Dylan says. “Because you at least know that you like Tony, and if he kissed you he probably likes you too.”

“I’m sort of still sitting in his driveway,” Taylor says.

“And you’re talking to me?” Dylan says. “Seriously, Raddy, go talk to him. I bet Tony is kind of freaking out right now.”

“But what am I going to say?” Taylor says.

“I’m sure you’ll figure that out,” Dylan tells him. “I’m hanging up on you now.”

“Dylan,” Taylor says. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” Dylan says. “Love you, Tay.”

“Love you too,” Taylor says, and there’s a beep on the line as Dylan hangs up.

The call clears from his screen and he has a stream of texts from Mitch. _wait. are you not_ and _because i kind of thought we had something going_ and _i’m really sorry if i misread things dude_ and _we’re still cool tho right?_ and again _really sorry dude._

Taylor leans forward, lets his head rest on his steering wheel, then gets out of the car.

* * *

Tony opens the door pretty much as soon as Taylor rings the bell.

“I never left your driveway,” Taylor says.

“I know,” Tony tells him. “I could see you. Do you, uh, do you want to come in?”

“Dylan says we should probably talk,” Taylor blurts out as Tony closes the door behind them. “I shouldn’t have just left, I was just — I was confused.”

“That’s okay,” Tony says.

“No, it’s not. I let you think that I didn’t — that I wasn’t —Tony, I really liked kissing you.”

“Oh,” Tony says. “That’s good.”

“I think so too,” Taylor says. “I think that I am taking very well to this whole being gay thing I just found out about 15 minutes ago.”

“Did you really not know?” Tony says. “Because the thing with Mitch — uh, never mind.”

“I really had no idea, but a lot of things kind of make sense now.” Taylor says. “Also, I feel like we should probably talk about the thing with Mitch. Because I’m pretty sure I like you, but everyone also seems to know I have a thing for Mitch. Including Mitch.”

Tony lets out a long breath and says, “Let’s go sit down.”

They sit on the same couch where Tony kissed Taylor, farther apart than they were sitting then. Taylor kind of wants to touch Tony, wants to kiss him and never stop now that Tony has started it, but he probably shouldn’t when they’re talking about Taylor having feelings for another guy.

“So the thing is,” Tony says. “Mitch is really great. You know this. But I didn’t feel like anything could happen between me and Mitch because you’re my friend and you were obviously into him. It kind of felt like I would be betraying you.”

Taylor is going to say something, he _is_ , but Tony reaches out and takes one of Taylor’s hands in both of his, and Taylor is shocked into silence.

“So I had feelings for Mitch that I wasn’t going to do anything about because of you, and your feeling for him, but also because I had feelings for you and I felt like it wouldn’t be fair to Mitch either if I had feelings for someone else.”

Taylor’s head is full of question marks again. He wishes he had his phone so he could just text Tony a string of them while he works on fully processing everything Tony is saying. He also kind of wishes Dylan was here to help him figure things out. But it’s just Taylor and Tony, and that might be kind of great, too.

“So you’re saying that you have feelings for Mitch, but also me. And I have feelings for you, but also Mitch,” Taylor says slowly. “I think that makes sense.”

“So I talked to Mitch—” Tony starts.

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah, right before we flew back from Tampa,” Tony says. “And I told him that I liked him and I liked you too, and I also knew that you liked him. And he was totally on board with dating. We just assumed you’d be into him, at least, so we decided I should talk to you to see if you’d be into me too. And, like, the three of us.”

Taylor looks down at his hand in Tony’s. “I think we should call Mitch,” he says.

* * *

Mitch’s parents live in Peterborough, but all three of them are training in Toronto over the summer. It makes the most sense to go to the apartment Mitch is renting in the city to talk things through.

The talking things through part doesn’t take that long. It’s pretty much figured out that they all like each other, so they mostly just kiss to seal the deal and end up curled up together on Mitch’s couch.

“I’m so good at this,” Taylor says. “This being gay thing. I went from not knowing I was gay to having two boyfriends in the span of like, an hour.”

“Yeah, most people freak out a little more,” Mitch comments. He looks very fond and that makes Taylor’s chest feel all warm and fuzzy. He decides to kiss Mitch.

“I think a lot of things just make sense now,” Taylor says when he pulls away.

“You don’t make any sense,” Tony says, and he looks fond, too. It isn’t fair that Taylor only kissed Mitch for that, so he kisses Tony to make it right.

 

**Author's Note:**

> contact info will be up once reveals happen


End file.
